UKOM Gives More Detail on Currency

At a launch event held yesterday, UKOM - the UK online measurement body - unveiled further details about the online audience planning system it is developing in partnership with Nielsen.

Set to launch in January 2010, the UKOM Audience Planning System (APS) is being designed to provide a currency for advertisers, similar to that for TV (BARB), radio (RAJAR) and print media (NRS).

The APS will tap into a panel of at least 31,000 consumers at home, and a panel of 4,000 individuals at work locations.

Sample will be controlled by demographics drawn from Nielsen's NetView data, with new variables added such as social grade, chief income earner and main shopper.

UKOM will supply online audience data down to sites as small as 35,000 unique visitors, and will report page views and time spent as key metrics.

In addition, ad network reach will initially be reported in the form of potential reach (based on ad calls), while reporting of video activity will be available around mid 2010.

The initiative has already gained cross-industry support, with ISBA Director of Media and Advertising Bob Wootton and IPA Research Director Lynne Robinson sitting on UKOM's advisory team.

'We know that online is the most measureable, accountable medium, but this capability has also led to the majority of digital display budgets being dedicated to direct response campaigns,' UKOM said in a statement. 'The robust data supplied by the APS is the information that media planners have been craving since online emerged.'

The former Joint Industry Committee for Internet Measurement Systems (JICIMS) was re-launched as UKOM last year, following news that its original stakeholders had withdrawn financial support.

Earlier in the week, UKOM appointed Douglas McArthur, founder and former CEO of the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB), as its new Chairman.

Web site: www.ukom.uk.net .